Say What?

The people of New Orleans have their own language. Its tone, lilt, and slang are indigenous to this city and reflect its ethnic history and tradition. New Orleans is part of the deep south, but you won't find much of a stereotypical southern drawl; in fact, there are several distinctive dialects. One of the most surprising is a Brooklynese style heard in the 9th Ward, Irish Channel, and Chalmette sections of New Orleans. Little or no French is spoken by the majority of folks in New Orleans, but common parlance isn't without French influence. Aside from having everyday words and expressions that aren't used elsewhere in the States, New Orleanians throughout the city give meaning to and pronounce certain words their own way. Many of them are related to food. See our list of Cajun food terms on NewOrleansRestaurants.com.

Most Popular Terms

Bayou (by' you)
Slow stream, or body of water running through a marsh or swamp.

Cajun (kay' jun)
French Acadians who settled here after immigrating from Canada.

Creole (cree' ole)
Descendents of French, Spanish, and Carribean slaves and natives; has also come to mean any person whose ancestry derives from the Caribbean's mixed nationalities.

King cake
Extra-large oval doughnut pastry dusted with colored candied sugar. A plastic baby doll is hidden inside the cake--the lucky person who gets the piece of cake with the doll inside (and doesn't break a tooth or swallow it in the process!) buys the king cake for the next party of the Mardi Gras season.

Lagniappe (lan' yap)
Something extra that you didn't pay for--thrown in to sweeten the deal--like a baker's dozen. (See mardigrasneworleans.com for more information)

Big Easy
"The Big Easy" became the official nickname for New Orleans after a contest was run years ago. Historically, New Orleans has weathered primitive conditions, yellow fever, hurricanes, floods, wars--English, French, Indians, Union--and just plain hard living. Being a survivor was something to celebrate. In addition, New Orleans is noted for an eclectic mix of cultures that have held onto their traditions and languages. New Orleans is also constantly celebrating! There are music festivals, food festivals, etc., throughout the year. The bottom line is that "The Big Easy" won because it fits! If it's fun, tastes good, and sounds right, then we're all for it!

Boeuf Gras
The fatted bull; a Lenten symbol of the last meat eaten before a season of fasting.

Boogalee
Translated: A Cajun
Contributed by J. Vegas

Bourre (BOO ray)
Translated: A French card game. "Wildly popular way to gamble on the old riverboats, and still is among Cajuns. Makes high-stakes poker look like Old Maid--it's that vicious. I love it!" P.S. The term "coon-ass" for Cajun comes from the English corruption of "canas," meaning a country bumpkin.
Contributed by J. Vegas

C

Cajun (kay' jun)
French Acadians who settled here after immigrating from Canada.

Camelback (cam' l bak)
A single row house with the back half made into a two-story. The front section remains a single.

Captain
Leader of a Carnival organization.

Carnival

The party season before Mardi Gras. Starts on January 6 (Twelfth Night). Celebrated with king cakes at Mardi Gras parties.

Cruise line from New Orleans offering Caribbean cruises!

Cayoodle
A mixed breed dog.
Contributed by Jimmy

Cher
New Orleans Translation: An expression many use when greeting another. A term of affection meaning "dear" or "love"
Contributed by "a French Quarter Fan" with this comment: "I am sure this has its origins in the French "cheri," but it just turns my legs to water when uttered by a N'awlins native..."

Chute-the-chute

Playground slide.

City that Care Forgot
A nickname for New Orleans.

Court
A Krewe's King, Queen, Maids and Dukes.

Crescent City
A nickname for New Orleans, originating from the shape of the Mississippi River as it bends around the city.

Creole (cree' ole)
Descendents of French, Spanish, and Carribean slaves and natives; has also come to mean any person whose ancestry derives from the Caribbean's mixed nationalities.

Crescent City Connection
Twin bridges connecting the Eastbank with the Westbank.

D

Dixie (There's just no other way to say it!)
Making money in the "Land of Dixie" was a term used by rivermen and merchants, because $10.00 bank notes were general denominations, and the French word for ten is "dix".

Do-do (dough dough--not du-du!)
In New Orleans, it's a cute word children use when tired and sleepy (from the French "to sleep": dormir).

Dressed
Sandwiches served with lettuce, tomatoes and mayonnaise: "the works" (and, of course...the way those with class catch their Mardi Gras throws!).

F

Fais do-do (Fay' dough dough)
A Cajun dance party, after the children have gone to sleep (see above!).

Fat City
A region of Metairie (see below) and a popular place to party during Mardi Gras, originating from the term Fat Tuesday (the literal translation of Mardi Gras).

"Four Major Points on the NO Compass"
Of course the four major points on the NO compass are: Lakeside, Riverside, East Bank, and West Bank (over which the sun rises every day!)
Contributed by Bryan Melan

Front room
Known other places as the "living room".

G

Gallery (galllll rreeeee)
Balcony--walkway outside of homes on the second floor.

H

Hurricane Party
What some residents do after securing their houses for a hurricane: throw a party! (If it's safe to stay, that is!) Get some snacks, drinks, and buddies, and hunker down to watch the TV news give hurricane updates! Hurricane is also the name of a famous New Orleans drink. Be careful; they sneak up on you.

I

Indians
Local African-American families and social clubs who dress up in very ornate, hand-beaded, sequined and feathered outfits to represent their street or gang during Mardi Gras.

"It don' madda"
Translated: "It doesn't matter."
That seems like the right way to say it to me, Jill!

K

King cake
Extra-large oval doughnut pastry dusted with colored candied sugar. A plastic baby doll is hidden inside the cake--the lucky person who gets the piece of cake with the doll inside (and doesn't break a tooth or swallow it in the process!) buys the king cake for the next party of the Mardi Gras season.

Krewe (crue)
A Carnival organization's members.

L

Lagniappe (lan' yap)
Something extra that you didn't pay for--thrown in to sweeten the deal--like a baker's dozen. (See mardigrasneworleans.com for more information)

MY-Nez
Translated: "mayonnaise"
Contributed by Sister Anne Joan: "MY-nez is a pronunciation unique to Creole New Orleanians; it reflects the French pronunciation of a visibly French word, the actual meaning of which I do not know. When I moved out of New Orleans to enter the convent, I used to avoid pronouncing it; nobody knew what I meant! Bless y'all's dawlin' hawts."

Police Jury
Similar to a city council, but has more legal authority concerning individuals

S

Shotgun
Usually part of a "double"--a single row house in which all rooms on one side are connected by a long single hallway--you can open the front door and shoot a gun straight through the back door, without hitting a single wall...now, I have no idea who has tried this, or even why this is the way one describes these houses!

Snowball
Shaved ice (nearly powder) served with flavored syrups. Those of you in the north might throw 'em...we eat 'em!

Slave Quarters
Houses behind the main building of large plantation homes where slaves used to live.

Soc Au' Lait (Sock-o-lay)
Translated: sack of milk. Used in place of "What the?", "Ouch!", or "WOW!"
Contributed by KAJUN

T

Tchoupitoulas Street (Chop a two' les)
Interesting street name. One of the trickiest to pronounce--and spell!

Throws
Trinkets such as beads, cups, and doubloons tossed from the floats to the crowds during Mardi Gras parades.

"Throw Me Something, Mister!"
What everyone yells at parades to get throws from the maskers on the floats!

Twinspan
The twin bridges connecting the North Shore at Slidell with New Orleans across Lake Pontchartrain.

U

Uptown (uhp' tawn)
Area "upriver" from the French Quarter.

V

Vieux Carre' (Vooo ca ray') (View ca ray')
French for "Old Quarter," this is a term used for the French Quarter, including world-famous Bourbon Street...experience it in any of our French Quarter Hotels.

Vignette (Vin yet')
A sketch or illustration of a person, place or thing.

Voodoo (Voo' doo)
A form of witchcraft.

W

"Went by My Mama's and N'em"
Visited my mother and family
Contributed by Jim Russell

West Bank
You have to look east to see the "other" side of New Orleans, on the west bank of the Mississippi.

Y

Yat
Standard greeting--("Where yat?" is "Hello, how are you doing?"). "Yat"
is also used as as noun to describe a true native New Orleanian.

Yatspeak
"My ex grew up on da Rue Royale, and she had a way of making the word 'water' sound SO good. More like 'Wahrter.' I love y'all's town. And the world's FINEST women come from New Orleans. You may quote me."
Contributed by: Carl Huffman

"Yea, you right!"
Translated: "Yes, you are right!"
Contributed by: Rick Ranson with this comment: "Surely this will qualify as 'yatspeak'"!

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